Settling the Score
by badge744
Summary: Pete and Barbara Ann have been kidnapped, leaving Mikki and Mike scrambling to figure out who is responsible for their disappearance. A trip through past convictions reveals startling clues as to the perpetrators identity.
1. Chapter 1

Settling the Score

Chapter 1

"So what time do you want Mikki and me to meet you and Jean at the restaurant?" Pete asked his partner as they were heading in from their day watch shift with the Los Angeles Police Dept.

"Jean made the reservations for six-thirty. Our babysitter should be over at the house by six, so we should be able to make it on time." Jim replied.

"And then we're going dancing afterward, right?"

"Well, that's the plan partner; that is if you and Mikki can keep your hands off of each other long enough to go dancing." Jim snickered, earning him a scathing look from Pete.

"I think we'll be able to refrain from embarrassing you and Jean in the restaurant, and while we are on the dance floor." _We'll save the fireworks for after we part ways with you two, _Pete thought to himself. He was looking forward to a nice evening with Mikki, and couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he drove toward the station.

Pete, and Mikki Sanders, the niece of the Reeds' next door neighbor, had been dating on and off steadily for the passed several months. They met when little Jimmy Reed came up missing one rainy afternoon and Mikki had played a major part in finding him.

Though her job with the FBI had taken her back to her hometown of Denver for a short period of time, she had recently transferred to the Los Angeles office nearly two months ago and had rented an apartment with her best friend and partner, Agent Mike Sanchez.

As for the relationship between she and Pete, neither could put aside the fact that their jobs were chock full of daily danger, and so they had spent their entire short term relationship claiming to be just friends. Behind the scenes, so much more was going on; they had been, and still were, indulging in a great amount of passion, with most of their dates ending the morning after the night before.

On the flip side, the two of them were very much alike in more ways than they cared to admit, and at times, they would butt heads and go for several days without calling or seeing each other. Their most recent blowup had come when Mikki and Mike had rented an apartment together. Pete had been livid when he found out, and had spent forty-five minutes ranting and raving to Mikki about guys and gals living together without being married.

Mikki had finally grown tired of listening to him rant and rave, so she turned the tables on him. She had asked him why it was okay for the two of them to spend the night together, unmarried, doing the intimate things that married people do; but not okay for she and Mike, unmarried friends, to live together, and not be doing the intimate things that married people do? Pete could not give her a good reason and so their date had ended on that note and resulted in Pete not calling her for nearly a week. She hadn't given in and called him, either. They were very much alike.

"So who's babysitting my godson?"

"Oh, the high school girl down the street. She's sat with him a couple of different times. Her mom is always home, so if she needs anything or runs into any problems, her mom can be down to our house in a minute or two."

Pete nodded his head in understanding as he turned the police car into the station parking lot.

"Say, did Mikki happen to mention whether or not Mike and Barbara Ann are coming along? Jean really enjoys talking to Barbara Ann; not that she doesn't enjoy Mikki's company, because she does; it's just that she and Barbara Ann have a little more in common."

"No need to explain, Jim. It's obvious that Mikki and Jean are as far from being alike as…well…as any two people can be. I think they do a good job of finding neutral ground when we do all get together, though."

"Yeah, they do at that. Sometimes I think that's just how women are. If they don't have anything in common, they start picking on us guys…that sure does seem to break the ice and get them talking!"

"I hear ya; heaven knows that we've been on the receiving end of their conversation starters more than once these past few months. And to answer your question, Mikki said that Mike and Barbara Ann are going to meet us at the restaurant for dinner but they are unsure about what they are doing afterwards."

"Oh, okay."

The partners turned in their reports, shotgun and car keys and then changed into civilian clothes before parting ways, knowing that they would be seeing each other in just over an hour.

Pete was heading for his apartment when he happened to glance in the review mirror and noticed a white paneled van that had been following him the majority of the way. Maybe it was coincidental, but he couldn't help but get that hinky feeling that had kept him and Jim from walking into many a harried situations in the past.

One block from his apartment, the paneled van turned off onto a side street. Pete still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but by that time, he was in the parking lot and pulling in next to Mikki's bright red Mustang ragtop.

Mikki got out of her car and walked up to Pete's drivers side door, opening it before he could, "Hey handsome…you got any plans for this evening?"

Pete got out of his vehicle and pulled Mikki into his arms. "As a matter of fact, I do. I have a date with a beautiful young lady." Then feeling kind of ornery, "But if she cancels, what do you have in mind?"

"Keep it up smart aleck and you WON'T have any plans for this evening…or throughout the night for that matter." Mikki shot right back.

"Well now, let's not be rash about this."

Mikki laughed and leaned up to claim Pete's lips with her own and then whispered, "Let's go have dessert before we go to dinner."

"NO! I know you, and if I let you into my apartment right now, we'll be late for dinner. How would that look?"

"Mmmm…from my viewpoint, it looks pretty tempting!"

Figuring that he'd better change the subject, and quickly, Pete ventured, "I thought that I was picking you up. What happened to those plans?"

"Okay Pete, neither one of us fell off of the turnip truck yesterday. We both know that I will end up spending the night here, so why should you have to drive over to my place to pick me up and then have to run me back home tomorrow before work, just so I can pick up my car?"

"Point taken and I am certainly not going to argue with you."

"'Bout time you wizened up in that department." She slid in under her breath, so that he wouldn't hear.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'what time was it when you left the department?'" This time she spoke a little louder.

Pete's eyebrows shot up and he looked at her briefly, as if trying to decide whether or not that was what she said before answering, "Four-forty five."

_Woe…that was close_ thought Mikki as she turned her head to hide the smile that wouldn't go away. "Well come on then, let's get a move on, our reservations are for six-thirty, and you still need to change." With that statement, Mikki headed up the stairs towards Pete's apartment.

The two of them managed to make it back out of the apartment in record time, without delay, and were soon headed to the restaurant. There were the first of the three couples to arrive so they ordered coffee to sip on while they talked about their day and waited for the others. Mike and Barbara Ann were the next ones to show up. By this time, it was nearing six-thirty and Jim and Jean still hadn't made their appearance. At six-forty, they came strolling in, hand in hand, looking like the perfect couple that they were.

When they reached the table, as the guys shook hands and the girls exchanged pleasantries, Jim apologized for their tardiness, explaining that their sitter had been delayed a bit.

The couples ordered their dinners and made more small talk while waiting for their food to come out. While they were waiting, a page came over the loud speaker that the headlights of a baby blue Ford Mustang had been left on. Pete quickly excused himself to go out and check and see if it was his car that they were referring to.

_This is playing out perfectly, this first part of the plan, _the man thought as he watched Pete come through the door of the restaurant and head over to his car, which was parked near the back part of the darkened parking lot. If Pete noticed the white paneled van parked two spaces down from him, he didn't make it known; his thoughts were on checking his headlights and getting back into the restaurant as quickly as possible.

Pete didn't see the man that stepped out from behind the white van and rounded the car next to his until it was too late. He felt his head explode in pain as the man swung the tire iron at him. An explosion of stars was the last thing that Pete saw.

Quickly looking around the parking lot, the man drug Pete's body behind the cars and quickly loaded him up into the back of the van. Then, getting in, himself, he used duct tape to cover Pete's mouth and to secure his wrists and ankles. After doing so, stealthily went back and placed the folded paper under the windshield wiper of Pete's car. He then climbed into the driver's seat and started the van. He was being careful not to draw any attention to himself as he drove out of the parking lot and headed toward the old abandoned barn just on the outskirts of town, thinking, _now that I have the pig…I just need the princess._


	2. Chapter 2

Settling the Score

Chapter 2

Back inside the restaurant, Mikki checked her watch, thinking _how long does it take to shut off headlights? Pete has been gone for over five minutes. Oh well, maybe he ran into someone he knows. _

Even as she tried to reason why Pete was taking so long, Mikki couldn't help but think that something just wasn't quite right. "If you will excuse me a moment, I am going to go and see if I can't light a fire under that partner of yours, Jim. It's not like we parked a country mile away, he should be back by now." Mikki stated as she got up to head outside.

Once outside, she looked around but didn't see Pete anywhere. Remembering where they had parked, she quickly headed toward the back of the parking lot. The little hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and she couldn't help but sense that something was amiss. Spotting Pete's car, she walked up to it, "Pete, are you still out here?" she asked into the darkness. Silence was her reply.

Just as she was turning to head back into the restaurant, a small piece of paper, stuck under the windshield wiper on Pete's car, caught her eye. She grabbed the paper and quickly opened it, immediately paling as she read these words, '_I have your boyfriend. If you ever want to see him alive, you and your partner are going to have to come and get him…this time, though, you won't get the better of me; I'm prepared to kill you, your partner, your boyfriend, and anyone else dear to you. You and your kind robbed me of having a life by sending me to prison, now I am going to show you how it feels to lose everything that's precious to you.' _There was no signature.

Mikki's mind was reeling as she entered the restaurant and quickly approached the table. Though she knew she didn't want to startle Jean and Barbara Ann, she couldn't keep the near panic out of her voice as she addressed Mike and Jim. "Somebody's got Pete." She handed the note to Mike, "They left this on his windshield. Mike, it's directed at us; I'm going to go call the Bureau and get a team out here. You and Jim go secure the area near Pete's car; it's parked at the back of the lot. Jean, you and Barbara Ann wait in here and don't come outside until one of us comes and gets you, understand?"

Both women, sitting there pale and confused about what was going on, just nodded in understanding as they watched Mike and Jim head outside and Mikki head toward the payphone at the back of the restaurant.

Within fifteen minutes, there were police and FBI agents swarming the parking lot near Pete's car. They had cordoned off the area and were talking with everyone that came out of the restaurant in order to find out if anyone had seen anything. The FBI agents on the scene had immediately made it clear to the LAPD officer in charge that 'this investigation is being handled by the Bureau.'

Mikki couldn't shake the sick feeling in her gut as she watched Pete's car being dusted for prints and the area around the car checked for signs of blood or foul play of any kind. She could see by the look on Jim's face that he was every bit as worried as she was; the only difference being that she was able to help out with the investigation, Jim was being kept in the dark by the agents on the scene. That didn't bode well with Mikki at all and she went to speak with the agent in charge. "Callahan…I need to talk to you a minute."

"Yeah, Sanders, what d'ya need?" Clint Callahan, a tall, strikingly handsome man in his mid thirties, had transferred to L.A. from the Denver office nearly four years ago. He and Mikki had history; some good, some not so good. She was counting on him to remember the good.

"Officer Jim Reed, over there," pointing to Jim, who was standing next to several other LAPD officers, Mikki continued, "well, Pete Malloy is his partner. Do you think that we could at least extend the hand of professional courtesy to him and let him in on whatever we find?"

"Sanders, you know this is Bureau business…"

Holding up her hand to stop him from giving the mundane routine speech that she knew was coming, Mikki jumped in with, "He's not out here to get in the way. I just think that we need to keep him in the loop; after all, Pete is his partner, and even though the note was directed toward Mike and me, the kidnapper may end up calling Jim's place, especially if he, or she, asks Pete for a number to call. Jim would be his first instinct on who to call, and if I know Pete, he will try to give Jim a hint on where he's at or who has him. Just think about it, will ya?" Mikki turned to walk away.

"Sanders!" Callahan called to her.

"Yeah?"

"Get him over here; stay with him…he touches nothing. Understood?"

Mikki flashed her fellow agent a grateful smile, "Thanks, Callie."

"No problem, Sandie…" his voice softened a bit, "and don't worry, we'll find him."

Mikki nodded her head, not trusting her voice to speak, and then walked over to the group of LAPD officers, singling Jim out to come with her. "Jim, you'll need to stay with me and I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but I have to anyway…boss' orders; don't touch anything."

"Thanks, Mikki…for getting them to let me come over here. Do they know anything yet?"

"No, I'm afraid we don't. The note was directed to Mike and me, which means it's most likely someone that we sent up. It has to be someone from our time in Denver, though, because we haven't had any real action to speak of since we came back to LA a couple of months ago. Right now we are at a standstill until the kidnapper makes himself or herself known. That was part of my argument to get you on the inside track. I told Callahan that the kidnapper might ask Pete for a number of someone to contact and that Pete might give him your number and then try and give you some kind of a hint where he's being held at."

"What should I tell Jean? Are there going to be agents at the house?"

"Can Jean and Jimmy stay with her folks or her sister for a few days?"

"Yeah, I'll give them a call as soon as we get home. But why?"

"Just a precaution, Jim. If this person is bent on hurting anyone that Mike and I are close to, then anybody that we are around is fair game. You don't want Jean and Jimmy in harms way at all. It'll just be better if they aren't at the house. And yes, there will be at least one agent at your house and we will have a telephone monitoring and tracing system placed on your phone line."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Yeah…go get the girls and take them home. See to it that Barbara Ann gets into her apartment okay. We'll have an agent follow you and check her apartment, and then he can follow you home and get everything set up on your phone line. When you get home, get Jean and Jimmy ready to go to her folks. You stay at your house, just in case a call comes through. We'll have an agent follow Jean and make sure that they get to her parents house, okay. After that, we wait."

By this time, Mike had found his way over to Mikki and Jim. "Jim, would it be possible for you to run Barbara Ann home. I don't want to leave here until they are finished with the crime scene, but I don't want to have to make her wait too much longer, she's pretty shaken up."

"Yeah, Mike; Mikki and I have already talked about that. I'll make sure she gets inside okay."

"Thanks…I'll go and get her and Jean and let them know what's going on." Mike headed off toward the restaurant and Jim and Mikki walked over towards the Reed's car. Shortly thereafter, Mike, Jean and Barbara Ann were headed in their direction, and after bidding goodnight to Jim and the two ladies, Mikki and Mike went back over towards Pete's car, seeking out Callahan, in order to go over plans.


	3. Chapter 3

Settling the Score

Chapter 3

_Stupid, stupid, stupid pigs…a visual once over is not how you check out someone__'s apartment. This is turning out to be the easiest job I've ever pulled! _Thought the man that was hiding in the hallway linen closet of Barbara Ann's apartment. It had been a close call. After quickly dumping Pete at the abandoned barn on the outskirts of town, he made his way to woman's apartment.

He had been waiting patiently for her to come back from her date at the restaurant. Figuring that she would come in alone, he took no measures to hide his presence in the apartment. Not until he heard the male voice tell her to wait in the hallway while he checked the apartment. At that point, the man quickly climbed into the linen closet, armed with Pete's off duty weapon. He would simply shoot anyone that opened the closet door.

Listening closely, he could hear when the man left the apartment. As Barbara Ann was taking care of her nightly bedtime routine in the bathroom, the man silently slipped out of the closet and went into her bedroom, crouching down quietly between the bed and the wall. This was proving to be much easier than he thought.

As Barbara Ann came from the bathroom, she threw back the covers, slipped into bed and turned off the bedside lamp, closing her eyes against the fear that she was harboring inside. It had really spooked her to have the FBI follow her home and check her apartment. The fact that Pete was missing, and that his kidnapping was related somehow to Mike and Mikki, brought on more fear. From what little Barbara Ann had been told, someone wanted revenge on Mike and Mikki, and kidnapping those close to them may be how that revenge was being carried out.

As she drifted off to sleep, the man beside the bed stealthily arose and rounding the bed quietly, he placed an ether-soaked cloth over Barbara Ann's nose and mouth. The frightened young woman only struggled a brief few seconds before succumbing to total unconsciousness.

The man made quick work of binding her wrists and ankles with duct tape. Then he placed a piece across her mouth. Afterward, he wrapped the young woman in a blanket and then carried her out to the white panel van parked to the rear of the apartment building. No one saw a thing.

*******************

Pete was just coming to, lying on his side on the straw covered ground; the night air was cool and damp. He could barely see two feet in front of him for the darkness of the night. He knew that he was inside some sort of structure, however it was drafty and provided little protection against the cool night breeziness. His hands, feet and mouth were bound with duct tape. Struggling to sit up, he realized that wasn't such a good thing to try; his head felt like it was about to explode and his left ear was ringing from the blow of the tire iron. All he could do was lay back down and wait.

Several hours later, the dawning of the morning sun came streaming through the cracks in the wooden structure that was now Pete's prison. Slowly opening his eyes, Pete could see that he was in a barn like structure; one that looked as though it could fall down in the gentlest of breezes. Slowly he managed to raise himself to a sitting position and scoot over to a supporting wall so that he could lean against it. Still, no one had made their presence known. Pete was alone in the middle of nowhere.

_I've gotta figure out what's going on. Who hit me? Where am I? Why am I here? I have to find a way to get out of this. _As his mind raced, he struggled to try and loosen the duct tape around his wrists. It was a moot point, the kidnapper had circled his wrists and ankles many times with the tape. Leaning his head back and resting it on the wall behind him, once again, all he could do was wait.

The morning drug on until Pete could tell that the sun shining brightly in the sky. He figured it to be late mid-morning when he heard the vehicle pull up outside. He was thankful that he wasn't blindfolded; at least he would be able to get a look at his captor.

Suddenly, at the far end of the barn, he heard the door slide open and then closed. In a matter of seconds a large, burly looking man was standing in front of him; with him, he had the unconscious, bound and gagged Barbara Ann. Roughly he dropped her to the floor, about six feet from where Pete now sat.

"Oh, so I see that you're finally awake and a little on the adventurous side. You didn't like where I had you so you decided to relocate, is that it?" And with that simple statement, the man hauled off and kicked Pete in the left side. Pete could almost feel his ribs cracking on impact as the breath was knocked out of him. He was trying his hardest to remain in a sitting position when the man delivered another swift kick to left side, followed by a blow across the back of his head, with the butt of his gun. Everything began to fade as Pete struggled to get a breath and clear the stars from his head. It was no use, he slumped over as the waves of dizziness faded to blackness and he passed out.

Just as the burly looking man turned around to leave, one single shot sounded out, dropping him in his tracks with a well placed bullet through the brain. The shooter then quickly drug the man to another part of the barn, covered his body with hay, then left the barn. _Now that he's out of the way, I can set out to accomplish my goal and before long, Mikki Sanders will be begging to become my wife…and if she doesn't, then I'll kill her, her lover, her partner, and her partner's lover! Yeah, we'll be together or she will pay dearly._


	4. Chapter 4

Settling the Score

Chapter 4

Pete had been missing for nearly sixteen hours and the L.A. FBI Office was buzzing with a flurry of activity. Phone lines were lit up like Fourth of July fireworks as Mikki and Mike were calling back and forth to the Denver office. On the Denver end, they had arranged for liaisons to begin searching all of their successful convictions for the past eight years; and there were a lot.

Checks were being run through the system to find out which convicted felons were still in prison and which ones had been paroled and when. It was slow process, but they finally caught a break when Callahan had approached them and said that he'd just gotten off of the phone with the Denver office. He told them that a man, by the name of Jack Gallagher, had escaped prison a month ago and they had not since been able to apprehend him. Mikki and Mike had worked the case two years ago and had sent the guy up on five counts of kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder.

"I don't understand; why weren't we notified that he'd broken out of prison? Is it not standard procedure anymore? Or maybe it's just another example of the Bureau's fine communication system!" Mikki declared, the anger in her voice was barely contained and the sarcasm could have been conceived as being dangerously close to insubordination.

"Watch yourself Agent Sanders. We can just as easily run this show without you involved if you don't put a lid on that temper of yours. Now, I don't know why you weren't notified of the breakout, and right now I don't care. I'll deal with that later. Right now I am dealing with the matter at hand…your kidnapped boyfriend!" Agent Callahan glared at Mikki as he spoke, his words dripping with disdain.

Mikki was glaring right back at him; he knew that the thoughts going through her mind at that moment were not very nice and that if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under right then. He also knew that she must really care for this Officer Pete Malloy, or she wouldn't be wearing her feelings on her sleeve right now. That alone, irked him; he had hoped that with her move to L.A. that they could develop more than a working relationship. Pete Malloy pretty much put a damper on that hope. He looked over at Mike, silently communicating that he'd better reign in his partner.

Mike, seeing the look on Callahans' face, as well as the look in Mikki's eyes, knew that he'd better step in and defuse his partner before she stepped over that fine line. Pulling her out into the hallway, Mike said, "Mikki, calm down…it won't do you any…"

"Don't tell me to calm down, Mike! Don't you DARE tell me to calm down. I am so mad right now that I could spit nails. Pete is out there, somewhere, God only knows where, and he could be hurt…or worse. Now if that's not bad enough, we find out that this could have been avoided had the chain of communications not broken down somewhere along the way!"

"Listen to me, Mikki; getting pissed off and thrown off of the investigation isn't going to help Pete. Now you have to calm down before Callahan boots your ass out of here. Now we're going to find him, you'll see, especially since we pretty well know who it is that we're dealing with. Now, we've got the main details of Gallaghers' past m.o., let's see if we can't get a jump start on where he might have taken Pete."

Mikki looked as if the wind had just been knocked out of her sails, "Mike…what if he took Pete and is heading back to Denver? He could do God only knows what to him, and leave him for dead anywhere between here and there."

Mike put his arm around her, "C'mon, we aren't going to think like that. Let's head over to Jim's house and see if there's been any development on that end. Then I want to stop in and check on Barbara Ann. I told her not to go into work today…you know, just in case…"

Taking a deep breath to steady her frayed nerves, Mikki swiped at her eyes and put on the bravest smile she could, "I'm sure that she's okay, Mike, but I can certainly understand why you want to go and check on her. It must have been quite a shock to her last night when all of this happened. I'm sure she's probably never been privy to one of these situations before."

The two left the office and headed over to the Reed's house. Jim, though glad to see them, was disappointed that neither he, nor they, had heard from the kidnapper. They did share with him that they thought they knew who the kidnapper was, though. It wasn't much, but it was a start. From there they headed over to Barbara Ann's apartment so that Mike could check on her.

At Barbara Ann's apartment, Mike and Mikki stood at the door. Mike knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again; still receiving no answer, he was becoming concerned.

"I don't understand it; I told her not to leave the apartment unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Well, maybe it was necessary." Mikki said. "Or maybe she's still in bed or in the shower."

"No, she's an early riser. It's nearing lunchtime, there's no way that she isn't already up and around for the day. I have a bad feeling, Mikki."

"Do you have a key to the apartment?"

"No, we haven't gotten around to that, just yet. I've met her landlord a couple of times; I'll bet that he will let us in to check the apartment. C'mon, let's go down to his apartment."

The two of them went down to the landlords' apartment. He'd seen Mike around several times and knew that he and Barbara Ann were an 'item', so after explaining the situation as best as they could, he readily agreed to open the door to Barbara Ann's apartment.

Mike entered first, followed by Mikki, who turned to speak with the landlord. "Sir, we appreciate you letting us in, but I am going to have to ask you to stay out here. We don't know what we are dealing with, just yet."

"Oh, okay. Gee, I hope she's all right. She's a really nice girl; like a daughter to me, she is."

"I'm sure she's fine, Sir. Just wait out here, please." Mikki turned to follow Mike in and they searched the apartment, finding no signs of Barbara Ann.

"I don't get it, Mik, why would she leave the apartment when I told her not to?"

"Mike, I don't know. Did you call her work?"

"No."

"Well, call them and I'll do another pass through."

Mike did as Mikki suggested. When he got off of the phone, he was even more concerned. Barbara Ann was not at her job, either.

"MIKE!" Mikki shouted from the bedroom.

Mike came running into the bedroom, nearly colliding with Mikki. "What; what is it? Did you find something?"

"I found something alright. Look over there next to the bed, between the wall and the bed."

Rounding the bed, Mike bent down and peered between the wall and the bed. The area was just big enough for a person to hide. Sitting on the floor was a can of ether, and next to that was a folded paper.

Taking out his hankie, Mike carefully picked up the paper and unfolded it, instantly paling as he read the words that he felt that he already knew it contained. _'I have the pig and now I have the princess. If I don't get what I want, they both die…you die, and your partner dies. It's as simple as that. I'll be in touch.' _ Again, there was no signature.

Mike handed the note off to Mikki, who read it and then gently took Mike by the arm, leading him from the room, "C'mon Mike, let's go use the landlord's phone and get a team out here."

A short time later, they were replaying the scene from the night before. Agents were combing the room and the apartment. Callahan was spouting off orders to the investigation team and the apartment was abuzz with activity. Mike and Mikki were in the thick of things, trying to glean as much information as they could. They had to find Jack Gallagher in order to find Pete and Barbara Ann.

"Hey Callahan, do you think it might be good idea for Mike and me to set up a telephone monitoring and tracing device on our phone. It's obvious that we are the intended recipients of Gallagher's little game and his note did say that he'd be in touch. He'll expect the office phones to be bugged, but he may not think about our apartment phone being bugged."

"No, that's not necessary. You are at the office more than you are at home. If he's been watching you, he'll know that. And apparently, he HAS been watching you two since he knew where you were at for dinner, and he also knew that Mike's girlfriend was home alone."

"Well, you know Callahan, it couldn't hurt…" Mike started to say.

"I said it's NOT necessary. Now I am the one in charge of this investigation. If you have a problem with that Sanchez, then you can dismiss yourself right now." Callahan was a little on the defensive side.

Mike gave him a look that said, 'what's up with the attitude?' before finally shrugging his shoulders and then motioning for Mikki to follow him.

"What do you suppose his problem is?" Mike asked.

"I really don't know. Last night, he seemed kind of gruff with everyone, but today he really seems quite distant…and still pretty gruff."

"I'd be willing to bet my two front teeth that he still has a thing for you, Mikki. You two dated for awhile didn't you?"

"Mike, that was four years ago and we only went out a handful of times. Nothing serious ever happened and there was no chance of it going anywhere farther than friendship."

"Humph…to hear him tell it, the two of you were practically engaged and rushing to the altar."

"That's precisely why I told him I thought it would be a good idea to not go out together anymore! And of course, he thought it was because you and I had a thing going, even though that was even farther from being a possibility than he and I ever getting seriously involved!"

Suddenly the little hairs stood up on the back of Mikki's neck. She couldn't place it, but something about this whole thing felt 'hinky'. The two of them headed out to Mike's car.

As Mike maneuvered through the streets of L.A., heading back to the office, Mikki was lost in her own thoughts of wondering where Gallagher could have taken Pete and Barbara Ann.

"Mike, I can't shake this really odd feeling; I can't place it, either, but whatever it is, I can't shake it."

"You probably need some sleep; you've been at this all night and all day today. Did you get any sleep while we were waiting on the calls from Denver?"

"No; you're probably right. I just need to catch a few zzz's."

"Yeah. Tell you what, lets check in with the office and see if there have been any other developments and then we'll swing by the police station and let the Chief know what's going on. After that we'll head home and wait for the phone to ring."

Sitting in the passenger seat of Mike's car, Mikki had a far off look in her eyes, "Why do you suppose Callahan doesn't want a trace on our phone? I mean, the notes were obviously directed at us and Gallagher kidnapped people that WE are close too. Wouldn't it be logical to assume that he might call us? Why wouldn't we have trace capabilities on our phone?"

"I tried to ask, but he just cut me off. He's a control freak. He'll probably think about it and order the trace equipment before long." Mike replied.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

The two rode in silence back to the office. While there, they were told that there hadn't yet been a break. They were just getting ready to leave when Callahan came back in from the field. He didn't look too happy that they were at the office.

"What are you two doing here? Go home and wait for the kidnapper to call. There's nothing more that you can do here." Callahan's tone was gruff and left no room for argument. It was Mike's turn to look daggers at Callahan.

"C'mon Mike, let's go." Mikki tugged on Mike's arm, forcing him to break eye contact with Callahan. When they got back into the car, Mikki said, "What was that all about? You lectured me on challenging my superiors, just last night. Now you're doing it."

"I guess I'm just tired too, Mikki. Let's go." _Mikki's right, why wouldn't he order a tracer on our phone…after all, he just ordered us to go home and wait on a phone call!_

They headed to the police station where they filled the police chief in on the case. He assured them that Jim Reed would be considered on special assignment so that he could stay home and by the phone. From the police station, they headed back to their apartment. By this time, Pete had been missing for nearly twenty-four hours; they were not sure just how long Barbara Ann had been missing, but it had been just shy of eight hours since her disappearance had been discovered.


	5. Chapter 5

Settling the Score

Chapter 5

Both Pete and Barbara Ann had regained consciousness and were sitting side by side, leaning up against the barn wall. Pete could see the terrified look in Barbara Ann's eyes, and though both had their mouths taped shut, he silently conveyed to her with a nod of his head that everything was going to be okay. He hoped that he wasn't lying to the woman.

The day had turned blistering hot. The old barn was stuffy despite the cracks and splits in the wood. It also had a distinct stench; not the stench of a barn, but the stench of a dead body.

Pete, lost in his thoughts, _If that isn't the stench of a corpse, I'll eat my hat. What is going on around here? Why would anyone want to kidnap Barbara Ann and me? If only we weren't gagged, I could ask her if she has any idea what's going on. Maybe if I lay down and place my mouth near her hands, she can loosen the tape so that I can talk to her; then she can do the same and I can get the tape off of her mouth._

Turning so that he could make eye contact with her, Pete nodded towards Barbara Ann's back a couple of times before laying down and scooting over so that his mouth was near her hands. She wasn't sure just what he was doing, but after he used his face to nudge her fingers against the edge of the tape a few times, she got the message and began working the tape away from Pete's face. After a few minutes, the tape was off.

With his injured ribs, the maneuvering had taken a lot out him, but after a minute or so, he was able right himself. Looking at Barbara Ann, "Thanks…now, lay down and maneuver yourself behind my back and we'll get the tape off of your mouth, too."

Barbara Ann quickly did as Pete bid and within a few minutes, the tape was off of her mouth, as well.

"Pete, what's going on? Who was the man that took me? I'm scared, Pete." Barbara Ann was beginning to cry.

"Just try to calm down, Barb. I don't know who or what we're dealing with, but I can only guess that it has to do with Mikki and Mike. I don't know why anyone else would want to abduct the two of us."

"Will they find us?"

"I'm sure that they are doing everything they can. Right now, I need you to think real hard and tell me what you remember. Did you see the person that abducted you? Did he say anything that would give us an idea of who he is or what his intentions are?"

Sniffling and trying to hold in the fear-filled tears, "No, I was in bed, trying to fall asleep and suddenly, there was someone standing over me. I remember struggling and then he put something over my mouth and I don't remember anything after that other than waking up here."

"He probably used some form of anesthesia; ether, most likely, to knock you out. Do you remember what he looked like or anything? Think."

"I can't remember. It was dark and I was so scared…" Her voice trailed off as the silent tears began falling down her cheeks once again.

"It's okay. Just relax." _Oh boy…this is some jam you're in now Peter J._

"Pete, what smells so bad in here?"

_Okay Pete, choose your words carefully or you'll have one hysterical woman on your hands. _"I think we are in some kind of an old barn…old barns tend to have a certain distinct odor."

"Oh…okay." Barbara Ann seemed to be satisfied with that answer for now, which Pete was thankful for. He knew that as the hours wore on, she would be questioning why the stench was getting worse. He'd cross that bridge when he came too it

*****

Having stopped off at the police department first, Mikki and Mike were now heading back to their apartment, just as they were ordered to do. Riding in silence, both were lost in their own thoughts, trying to rationalize why Jack Gallagher would want to take Pete an Barbara Ann; better yet, trying to figure out where he would take them.

"Mike, when you talked to the guys in Denver, did they say exactly when Gallagher broke out of prison?"

"I didn't talk to the Denver office about that; I only talked to them in order to ask them to pull our case convictions for the last eight years. I thought that maybe you were the one that had inquired about Gallagher as a suspect and that's when they checked on his whereabouts and found out that he'd broken out of prison."

"No, I never spoke with them specifically about Gallagher; the first I had heard about him breaking out was when Callahan told us that they said that he'd broken out a month ago. He didn't give a specific date, though. Let's call Denver when we get to the apartment. I want a few more details surrounding his break out. It would be nice to know if he had help or if he did it on his own; how he got past the guards…you know…details." Mikki couldn't shake that hinky feeling that was coming back.

"Well, we know that his motive is revenge, after reading that note that he left on Pete's car." Mike supplied thoughtfully.

"I can't explain it, Mike, but it just doesn't make sense. I mean why chase us all the way to L.A. after breaking out of prison? Why not stay closer to home, where nobody ever thinks to look? Why didn't he go for someone in one of our families? He would have had to have been following us for some time to realize that we were seeing Pete and Barbara Ann. And think about it, one months' time frame isn't a whole lot when you're on the run and trying to track down two people who have moved seven hundred miles away. Transportation would be a big obstacle; a place to stay; clothes to blend in; food. No, it doesn't feel right at all."

"You could be on to something, Mikki. We'll call Denver when we get home; get details."

"Swing back over to the Reeds'." Mikki said.

"Why?"

"I want the phone tracing equipment; I'm going to put it on our phone. I don't think Jim needs it on his end. We'll set him up with a portable tap, that will record, just in case. There's one in the trunk."

"Callahan ain't gonna like that; you heard what he said."

"Callahan can bury his head in the sand and wait for the high tide for all I care. Pete and Barbara Ann are my first priorities right now, and I'm going to do utilize every tool available to me, to find them! Are you with me or not?"

"Have I ever NOT been beside you and every hair-brained idea that you have come up with, Mikki?" Mike asked, giving her a look that said 'you know I've always stood beside you,' as he turned the car and headed toward the Reed house.

*******

"Mike, Mikki…is there any word?" Jim asked when he answered the door.

"No, Jim, not yet. We are just here to pick up the tracing equipment and put just a portable tap on your phone." Mike informed him.

"I don't understand. Your Agent Callahan was very adamant about the trace being on my phone, in case the kidnapper calls."

"And that's why we are leaving a portable tap, Jim. So you can record any conversation if he calls. We need the tracer for our apartment phone. Callahan thinks that there's more of a chance that the kidnapper will call us…especially since Barbara Ann is missing now, too."

"WHAT? When? How?" Jim was full of questions and Mikki and Mike suddenly realized that he had no idea that Barbara Ann had been kidnapped, as well, so they spent a few minutes filling him in while disassembling the trace on his phone and setting up the phone tap. A short while later, they were on their way back to their apartment.

Once inside their apartment, Mike went in to put on a pot of coffee. It had already been a long night and day and he had a feeling that it was only beginning. Mikki went over to the phone, picking up the receiver so that she could start installing the tracer.

"What the HELL?" Mikki exclaimed. "MIKE, GET IN HERE!" The urgency in her voice brought Mike out of the kitchen in a heartbeat. He found Mikki standing there, with the phone receiver dismantled and held out in his direction.

"It looks fine, Mikki" Mike said as he looked at the installed tapping equipment. "You hollered at me to show me that you can install a tap…" Mike's voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the uninstalled tracing equipment that Mikki had lain on the coffee table. "What the hell?" Mike couldn't believe what he was seeing…their phone had already been bugged. What really sent him into a tailspin was the fact that the bugging equipment was agency issued.

Mikki held up her hand to keep Mike from voicing anything else. She then quickly unhooked the phone bug, carried it to the bathroom and placed it into the water in the back of the toilet tank, ensuring that now the tap was a useless pile of wires and plastic.

Turning back to Mike and whispering, "Where do you suppose that came from and how did it get on our phone?"

Whispering in return, "I don't know, but two and two just isn't adding up to four…just yet. Who would tap our phone? And did they bug the rest of the apartment?"

Quickly, silently and thoroughly, Mike and Mikki went over every inch of the apartment until they were sure that there were no other bugging devices. Their minds were in overdrive and their nerves were now on edge. An unwarranted tap on their phone could have only been planted by someone on the inside…a fellow agent, maybe. But why?

"Should we put the other tracing system on our line?" Mike wanted to know.

"Uhm…no…not yet…I want to place a call to Denver, first."

Mikki got the Denver office on the line and began asking them questions pertaining to Jack Gallagher's breakout. Mike was watching her face, trying to gauge her reactions to whatever answers she was being given. Her looks went from quizzical to shock, to disbelief, finally landing on anger. Hanging up the phone and looking at Mike, "You ain't even going to believe this…Gallagher is still in the pen, sitting there getting fat and happy on taxpayers money. He never broke out…he's been there since we sent him up!"

"But how can that be? Callahan said that he talked to …"

Simultaneously, the two looked at each other, "Callahan; Callahan." They both said at the same time.

"But why?" Mikki inquired.

"I told you why…he's still got a thing for you…and you got a thing for Pete."

"But why Barbara Ann?" Mikki knew the answer, she just didn't want to believe that a fellow agent, someone she had called a 'friend', could betray her like that.

"To make it look like the kidnapper was after revenge on both of us, not just you."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Mikki knew Mike was right. She also knew that this upped the notch of intensity regarding finding Pete and Barbara Ann. She especially feared for Pete's safety. If Callahan was indeed behind it, and for the reasons that she and Mike now suspected, Pete was in grave danger unless she and Mike could figure out where Callahan had him and Barbara Ann.


	6. Chapter 6

Settling the Score

Chapter 6

The day was slowly fading to early evening and the temperature inside the old barn was beginning to drop slightly, which was a welcome relief from the scorching heat that the day had brought.

"Are you okay, Barbara?" Pete asked the young woman when he noticed that she was beginning to shiver a bit in her thin nightgown. The blanket that she had been wrapped in had been long ago discarded against the heat.

"Uhm…yeah; it's a little cool, but I'll be fine."

"You know, I've been thinking, and I wonder if we sit back to back, maybe we can work at the duct tape that's around our wrists and get free. Want to try?"

"Okay." She sounded tired and scared, but she was holding up like a trooper.

The two of them had just shimmied up with their backs to each other when they heard a car door outside. They quickly scooted back into their original positions, and awaited the arrival of whoever it was that was out there.

Coming in through the barn door at the far end, a booming voice rang out, "Are my pawns awake?" the deep, male voice, asked as he came into view.

Barbara Ann, though she didn't know his name, had remembered seeing him at the restaurant crime scene. It was Agent Callahan. She drew in a sudden gasp, causing both Pete and Callahan to look at her. Pete spoke first. "Are you okay?"

Pale and shaking like a leaf, Barbara Ann's voice was very quiet as she responded, "Yes…I'm just cold…"

Barbara Ann refused to make eye contact with the Agent Callahan, lest her eyes give it away that she knew who he was. Pete could see the fear in her eyes, and since they had already discussed the coolness of the evening, he knew that Barbara Ann was pulling at excuses.

"What's wrong with you?" Callahan demanded.

Barely squeaking out her answer, Barbara stammered, "I, uhm,…I just wandered if you could please put the blanket back around my shoulders. It's a little cool in here now that the sun has gone down."

"Mmm…it's a shame to cover up such lovely shoulders" Callahan ran his left hand through Barbara's rich, red hair, letting his fingers trail down her shoulders and arm, and then slinking his hand over her breast.

Scared out of her wits for sure now, Barbara began to cry and plead, "Please…no! Please don't hurt me."

"Leave her alone!" Pete bellowed, causing Callahan to stop his sick ministrations long enough to belt Pete across the face with the back of his hand, causing a slight cut at the corner of his mouth. It stung like hell, but Pete wasn't about to sit by and let this man do God only knew what to Barbara Ann.

"Mind your own business! I'll do whatever I want, whenever I want, and to whomever I want." He turned back toward Barbara Ann and was just getting ready to reach for her again when Pete reared up onto his knees and hurled himself as hard as he could into Callahans' legs, causing Callahan to stumble backwards and Pete to end up flat on the floor, stomach down.

Callahan caught himself before he fell; quickly righting himself, he cursed a blue streak as he repeatedly kicked Pete in the side. After the third kick, Pete surrendered to blissful unconsciousness against the searing pain in his side, but Callahan was livid, out of control and ready to take Pete out of the picture altogether. Without hesitation, he pulled out his gun, pointed it at Pete and was just getting ready to pull the trigger when Barbara Ann let out a blood-curdling scream. The sudden, unexpected racket had the desired effect. Callahan stopped dead in his tracks, put his gun away, gave Pete one more hard kick in the ribs. He glared at Barbara Ann, then he turned on his heel and left the barn as swiftly as he had come in.

"Oh, God! Oh my God; Pete! Pete, are you okay? Please, Pete, wake up!" Barbara Ann sobbed as she scooted over towards where Pete lay, unconscious. Her tears were falling freely and the fear coursing through her caused her to visibly shake. Night was falling fast as she sat next to Pete, sobbing and full of fear.

*****

"What now, Mike? What's the best way to handle this? I've never dealt with a 'dirty' agent before, and anything we do could have a negative impact on Pete's and Barbara Ann's safety. We have to have a full proof plan." Mikki was beside herself; everything seemed too surreal to be happening.

"I don't know. I do know that we don't want to call the office. We don't know if he's working alone or if he has someone else working with him." Mike, too, was unsure just how to proceed.

"Let's go over and let Jim in on what we know. Maybe we can go through the police department and get some back up from them. We have to find a way to find out where Callahan has Pete and Barbara Ann."

"You mean if we aren't barking up the wrong tree. We are just assuming that he's the one behind this." Mike knew that he was playing devils advocate.

"What does your gut tell you, Mike? Mine tells me that we are on the right track. The way this has played out, especially with our phone line being bugged, Callahans' reactions, the mis-information about Gallagher…no, Mike, nothing else makes sense in light of all of that. Come on, let's go see Jim."

Less than a half hour later, they were sitting in the Reed's living room and going over their theory.

"I don't get it. If he's got a thing for you, why not just ask you out. Why would he kidnap Pete and Barbara Ann? It doesn't make sense." Jim hadn't yet been sold on the whole theory.

"We dated a handful of times, back in Denver; there just wasn't any chemistry, but that wasn't something that Callahan wanted to accept. He thought there was way more to us than there was. Not too long after we stopped going out, he transferred. That was pretty much the end of it until Mike and I transferred out here. I'd be willing to bet that he had plans on picking up where he thinks we left off. I'm sure that Pete's presence in the picture put a damper on that. That's the only thing that makes any sense."

"But why Barbara Ann? Why not just Pete?"

"Simple, he's covering his bases; making it look like revenge on both Mike and me by someone that we sent up. By heading up the investigation, he's been able to pretty much play us like marionettes."

"I'm going to call Mac and have him meet us at the station. He'll be able to arrange for a couple of the detectives to help out." Jim was starting to see the big picture.

Jim phoned Sgt. Bill MacDonald at home. He gave him a quick overview and then hung up the phone. Turning to Mike and Mikki, "Let's head down to the station."

Back at the police station, Jim, Mike and Mikki were met by Mac, Detective Jerry Miller, and Lt. Val Moore. The six of them went over the scenario at hand. Mac, Detective Miller, and Lt. Moore were all in agreement that they could be on to something and so the decision was made to forge ahead with a plan to follow Callahan in order to verify their suspicions.

******

"Okay, so everyone knows the plan, right?" Detective Jerry Miller asked.

"Mikki will use the payphone, down the block from the Bureau, to call Callahan at the office. She'll tell him that she and Mike think they have break in the case and that they have a lead on where Pete and Barbara are being held, and that they are heading out to check the lead." Mac said, and then turned to Mikki, "Just remember to hang up before he can ask any questions."

"Right" Mikki said. She then looked to Jim.

"Mike and I will be waiting in my car, just down the block from the Bureau; when we see him pull out, we'll tail him." Jim said. He then looked toward Jerry Miller.

"Yes; and Mikki and I will be just a few cars behind you in an unmarked unit. Mac, you be on stand by on Tac 2, with an additional unit, just for backup." Jerry then looked at Mike and Jim, "Radio us on Tac 2 when you get into place. Ready Mikki?"

"Yep, let's go." The small group left the police department and headed toward the Bureau. Mac and the other marked unit sat idle two blocks away and around the corner. They were tuned in to Tac 2.

Jim and Mike were sitting a block down from the main parking lot of the Bureau. From where they were parked, they had a birds eye view of Callahans' car.

Jerry Miller had parked the unmarked unit near the phone booth and sat in the car as Mikki got out to make the phone call. Within a minute, she had Callahan on the phone.

_Here goes nothing. _"Callahan, it's Sanders." Not giving Callahan a chance to respond, Mikki forged forward. "Mike and I have a lead on where Gallagher is keeping Pete and Barbara Ann…someone seen something suspicious and called it in. We're heading out to check it out. I'll keep you posted." With that, she hung up before Callahan could say anything.

_Son-of-a-bitch! I can't let them get out there before I do!_ "I'll be back in a little bit," Callahan said, to nobody in particular as he grabbed his suit jacket and headed out to his car.


	7. Chapter 7

Settling the Score

Chapter 7

"So, do you think he took the bait?" Jerry Miller asked Mikki as she got back into the unmarked police car.

"Hook, line and sinker…I hope. We'll know shortly." Picking up the mic, Mikki flipped to Tac 2 and made contact with Mike and Jim, as well as Mac and the other backup unit, telling them that she had just finished placing the call. Seconds later, Mike's voice came over the radio saying that Callahan had just gotten into his car and was on the move.

Being careful to hang back several car lengths, Jim drove nonchalantly through the streets of downtown L.A., being very careful not to get too close to Callahan's vehicle. Behind them, Mikki and Jerry followed. Choosing to hang back by several blocks, were Mac and the other marked unit.

_Where is this guy driving to? _Mikki couldn't help but wonder when they had driven for about twenty minutes. It looked like they were headed out of the city limits. "Where do you think he's going, Jerry?"

"Looks like he's headed to the edge of town. There are a lot of abandoned farmhouse properties out this way. Could be that he has Pete and Barbara Ann holed up in one somewhere. The opposite edge of town is mostly abandoned warehouses, but that would be too risky…we patrol those areas frequently; not much attention is paid to these outlying abandoned farms, though."

Ten miles outside of town, Callahan pulled off onto a long, winding, dirt-paved driveway that led past a long forgotten overgrown field. At the end of the driveway sat a rickety old farmhouse. One hundred feet beyond that, sat an old barn in equal disrepair.

Jim and Mike slowed to a crawl until they were sure that Callahan had rounded the first bend in the driveway, thus disabling his ability to see them pulling in; Mikki and Jerry slowly pulled in behind them. Mac, and the other marked unit, had pulled off onto the side of the road.

Using binoculars, Mike was able to see Callahan park near the barn and exit his vehicle. When he saw him enter the barn, he jumped on Tac 2 and got everyone rolling up the winding driveway. Cutting their engines half way, so as not to alert Callahan, they exited the vehicles and quickly made their way toward the barn. Mike and Jim covered the back while Mac and the other two officers covered the front and sides. Mikki and Jerry were going in.

*******

_It's too quiet…they're waiting inside to get the drop on me, _thought Callahan. He was seething with rage, as he pulled out his gun and entered the barn expecting to find Mikki and Mike waiting for him. Callahan stopped just inside the door, the stench of the dead body was predominate now, causing him to swallow back the bile that was rising to his throat. Continuing on slowly through the barn, towards the back where he had left Pete and Barbara Ann, Callahan was careful to be aware of every bit of his surroundings, lest Mikki and Mike be laying in wait for him. Finally, reaching the area where Pete and Barbara Ann were sitting, once again side by side, Callahan lowered his gun and snickered, "Ha! You're friends thought they knew where I was holding you. I wonder what place they are raiding right now, looking for your sorry asses!"

"Who exactly are you and what d'ya want with us?" Pete demanded.

"You ask an awful lot of questions, you know that!" Callahan shot back.

"I just think we have a right to know…"

"Shut up! You don't have any rights…except maybe the right to sit there and watch me take back my girlfriend…right out from under your nose!"

"Mikki? What's Mikki got to do with this?" Pete couldn't believe that he was hearing correctly; he and Barbara Ann had been kidnapped by a crazed ex-boyfriend of Mikki's.

"He's an FBI agent, Pete." Barbara spoke up, "He was the one running the show when you were taken at the restaurant."

"Shut up!" Callahan bellowed at Barbara Ann.

Through the cracks in the barn walls, Pete caught a glimpse of movement outside. He could see enough to make out the forms of Mikki and Jerry Miller. He also caught a glimpse of Mike and Jim. _I have to keep him talking…keep his attention turned away from the outside._

"You know you won't get away with this." Pete protested.

"Oh, I'll get away with it, alright. This place is nice and out of the way…no one would think to look out here in the boonies for you or her. I'll just shoot both of you, leave you here to rot with joe schmoe over there and…"

Pete could see the color drain from Barbara Ann's face as Callahan's words sunk in. She began to sob, against the reality of the situation.

_Gotta keep him talking, keep him from looking outside. Sorry, Barbara Ann, but I have to do this. "_So who's the stench coming from? Did you decide that this was a one-man job, after all? Who'd you end up killing and burying in this barn, huh?"

"It's been a one man job all along. Joe Schmoe over there is just another pawn in my plan. See, I needed to have someone to kidnap the two of you; you know, keep my hands clean, so to speak, so I found guy wanting to make a few quick bucks. I laid out the plans for kidnapping the two of you, and he did my dirty work. I did him in to get rid of witnesses, and voila, once I knock off the two you, Mikki will be all mine. She'll be so broken up over losing you, and I will be there to help her pick up the pieces and put her life back together. Plan perfected."

While Pete had Callahans' attention, Mikki, Mike, Jim and Jerry had silently slipped in through the barn doors, and were strategically maneuvering around the inside of the barn, making no sound, and being careful to stay out of sight.

"Your plan's not quite, perfect, Callahan." Mikki's voice came from behind him and he spun around, his back now to Pete, gun in hand, poised and ready to shoot. Mikki too, had her weapon drawn and ready. A classic stand off.

"How'd you know where to look?" Callahan had been caught off guard. Quickly glancing around, he could see that there were others surrounding the building, but he didn't see the others that were inside the barn.

Her voice low and steady, "You led me right to them, Callahan. You shouldn't be so paranoid! You thought for sure that I already knew where they were at…all I had to do was plant the idea with that one little phone call, and you did the rest. I've been following you since you left the Bureau parking lot."

"Bitch! You aren't leaving here alive and neither is your boyfriend…or the girl for that matter!" He was alternating between livid and placid; lethal and peaceful. "You know Mikki, we could've been good together. I told you that a long time ago, back in Denver, but you wouldn't have anything to do with the idea."

"Speaking of ideas, Callahan, when did you decide to pull this little ruse? And why lie about Jack Gallagher?" Callahans' face went stone cold at Mikkis' words, as she continued, "See, we figured out that Gallagher never broke out of prison. He's still sitting in his cushy little cell and living the high life off of the taxpayers money."

"Shut up!"

"You should have covered your tracks better…all it took was one phone call to Denver and the puzzle pieces just dropped into place…especially since we found the wiretap on our phone…the very same phone that YOU didn't want tapped. And now we know why. You had to tap our phone so that you would know every plan that we made. That's how you knew we'd be at the restaurant the other night."

Mikki knew that she was goading him with all of the details, but she needed him rattled and concentrated on her so that he wouldn't direct his anger toward Pete or Barbara Ann. "You know, for a professional, you did a really sloppy job. I'll bet one of our cadets could do a better job of covering up his tracks than what you did."

"I said, SHUT UP!"

"No, Callahan…I won't shut up. I want answers. Who's the corpse over there in the hay?"

"It doesn't matter! All that matters is that I am going to kill you, your boyfriend, your…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah….me, my boyfriend, my partner and my partner's girlfriend…you're like a broken record, Callahan." She could see Pete struggling silently to get up on his knees; he was right behind Callahan and Mikki had a feeling that he was getting ready to dive into the back of Callahans' legs. She had to keep Callahan occupied. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn't hesitate to end Pete's life if he knew what Pete was going to do.

She was pushing his buttons and she knew it, as she continued to interrogate him. She had to hold his attention. Callahan stood there, with his gun lethally trained on Mikki. The more she grilled, the more he could feel himself reaching the boiling point of his anger, and the more his anger rose, the more pressure he put on the trigger. When he'd had all he could take, his face went blank of all emotion and he said, "Say goodbye, darling."

Just as he pulled the trigger, Pete dove, with a grunt, into the back of his legs, causing him to pitch forward as the gun fired. Simultaneously, Jim, who had been hiding behind an old tractor to the left, yelled "Callahan!" Callahan, trying to catch his balance, spun to the side just as Jim's bullet made impact, taking him down in a heap, where he breathed in his final breath.

Mikki dropped to the ground, holding her side and gritting her teeth against the searing pain as blood began to seep through her fingers. Feeling like the world was spinning out of control, she heard Barbara Ann scream; she heard Pete, who was scrambling to try and get to his feet, yell "MIKKI, NO!" Losing the battle of consciousness, the last thing that she remembered being aware of as blackness enveloped her, was Mike's face near hers, and him saying, "Just hang in there Mikki, we've got help on the way."

Mac and the other two uniformed officers had since come inside, they were busy cordoning off the area where the body was buried in the hay. They announced that an ambulance was on the way. Jim and Jerry worked quickly to unbind Pete and Barbara Ann.

As fast as his aching ribs and throbbing head would allow, Pete was at Mikki's side, keeping pressure on the gunshot wound as he held her hand and quietly kept telling her to hang in there. She wasn't hearing anything in her blissful state of unconsciousness. He looked over at Mike, who was holding a sobbing Barbara Ann in his arms, "Mike…I don't think she can hold out for an ambulance…we've gotta take her in the car; she's bleeding too much." Pete's voice held a worried urgency to it that only someone who really knew Pete would be able to detect.

Jim, hearing Pete's declaration, quickly ran and got his car, they loaded Mikki into the back seat, and Pete climbed in the back with her, keeping pressure on the wound. Barbara Ann sat up front with Jim as he drove them to the hospital as quickly as he could.

*****

Two hours later, finally cleared from the crime scene, Mike rushed into the ER through the ambulance bay doors. He immediately spotted Barbara Ann, Pete and Jim, sitting in the ER waiting area. Going over to the small group, "How is she? Any word?"

Pete shook his head, slightly, indicating that as of yet, there was no word on how Mikki was doing. "They took her right up to surgery; we haven't heard anything yet."

"Did you two get checked out?" Mike directed his question to Barbara Ann and Pete, both.

Barbara Ann nodded and told him that she was given a clean bill of health. The nurse had also found her a pair of slacks and a t-shirt to put on in place of her nightgown.

"What about you, Pete? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…just some cracked ribs and a couple of bumps on the head." His answer was vague and his mind was on Mikki.

Mike sat down, putting his arm around Barbara Ann as she laid her head on his shoulder, and kept vigil with the others.

Several more hours went by before the doctor finally came out into the waiting area. Immediately, four pairs of questioning eyes landed on him. After introducing himself, he proceeded to explain the extent of the damage and the necessary steps to repair it. He assured them that Mikki was stable and holding her own.

"How soon before I can see her, Doctor?" Pete asked.

"She's in recovery right now. We'll be getting her into a room shortly." The doctor began to shift his weight from foot to foot, as if there were more that he wasn't saying. Pete picked right up on it, as did Mike and Jim.

"What aren't you telling us, Doctor?" Pete demanded.

"Well, when she wakes up, there is a bit of information that she is going to need to hear. You can tell her, or if you prefer, I can do it." The doctor once again hesitated.

"Doctor, I can assure you that if it's bad news, she would just as soon that it come from either Pete or myself." Mike said.

The doctor nodded his head, "Very well, then, I will leave it up to the two of you to talk to her. She miscarried while in surgery. The trauma of the shooting, as well as the surgery, was just too much for her body to handle. The fetus just wasn't viable enough to survive the ordeal."

Mike's jaw dropped. Pete, who had been standing, began to sway slightly; he was in shock at the doctors' words. Immediately Jim was at his side, coaxing him to sit down. He too, was at a loss for words.

*******

_Two weeks later, at Pete's apartment…_

Wiping his hands on the dishtowel, Pete walked toward the door to answer the knock. Opening it, he smiled broadly, "Mikki; come in. What brings you out? Is everything okay? Are you supposed to be driving?"

Mikki gave a strained laugh at his twenty questions as she stepped into the apartment. She felt a little awkward as she stood there, staring into Pete's eyes for a brief second before adverting her gaze.

Through no fault of his, she hadn't seen him since that fateful day in the hospital when he had given her the news that the doctor had supplied. After he had told her, she had quietly asked him to leave; she said that she needed time to herself to sort through the many emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her at the time. He had called her numerous times, and had dropped by to see her, both at the hospital and at her and Mike's apartment, after she had gotten released to go home. She had refused to talk to or to see him.

"Uhm…sit down." Pete motioned toward the sofa. "I'm just getting ready to pull a pizza out of the oven in about ten minutes; are you hungry?"

Looking down at the floor, "No, uhm…no thanks. I'm fine. You go ahead though, I can stop by later…" She turned to leave.

Pete reached out and gently took her hand in his, and moved over to stand between her and the door. "Don't leave, Mikki. Please…don't leave."

Mikki nodded her head and followed him over to the sofa where they sat down, side by side. She continued to look at the floor.

Reaching over and turning her face towards him, and then tilting her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes, "You know that we need to talk about this."

Again, she nodded her head, not trusting her voice at the moment. Finally she spoke. "I'm sorry, Pete. I had no idea that I was pregnant. None at all…I'm on birth control pills. The doctor did say that oral antibiotics can lessen the effectiveness of the pill. A while back, when I cut my arm on that rusted fence, I had to get a tetanus shot and they gave me an oral antibiotic to stave off any infection. I had no idea that anything like that could happen."

"Mikki, sometimes things just happen, no matter what precautions are taken." Pete could see that she was just about to break. "Are you okay, Mikki?" Pete's voice was gentle, yet filled with emotion as he gathered her into his arms and held her. He felt her body begin to shake as she held tight to him. This was the release that she needed so that she could fully come to terms with what had happened. He too, needed this time with her, so that together, they could both come to terms with the harsh reality that they had created a child that they would never have the joy of knowing.

Pulling away, just slightly, so that he could cup her face with his hands, Pete placed a gentle kiss on her lips, saying, "It's okay Mikki, we'll get through this together."

Mikki smiled softly and hugged Pete a little tighter, "I know."

The End

My thanks to all who have taken time out of their busy schedules to read the latest in the Pete/Mikki saga. I hope you have enjoyed it. Any and all reviews welcomed.


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